00:00It's been must-win baseball for a while now, and the Mets gave up 10 runs to the Cubs in their loss Wednesday night.
00:06So I'm wondering, is the pressure of fighting for their postseason lives starting to get to them,
00:12or will some of that well-needed Mets magic just randomly show up at the right time?
00:17Let's talk Mets baseball with our beat writer for The Post, Mike Puma.
00:20Mike, thanks for hopping in with us today.
00:23You're out in Chicago right now for that game tonight.
00:26I guess let's get straight into this, man, because a lot of people are frustrated that night in, night out,
00:32we see mistakes that are absolutely killing this team.
00:35One night, it's Vientos' fielding error.
00:38Another night, it's Juan Soto's misplay on the ball in right field.
00:42Given what's at stake, why do we continue to see sloppy baseball from this team down the stretch?
00:49Well, I don't know if there's any correlation between the time of season or the fact it's just,
00:57this isn't a great team defensively to begin with.
01:01You know, last night we saw Vientos, obviously, with that throw,
01:05and Soto the night before, I think, lost the ball in the wind.
01:10But, you know, the defense has only been a small part of it.
01:13And you had Clay Holmes, late covering home plate on the wild pitch last night.
01:19That certainly didn't help.
01:20Yeah, the defense has been ugly here for a few games.
01:24But that's only part of it right now.
01:26I mean, the biggest thing right now is the starting pitching.
01:31And, you know, the Mets are getting in the hole early and having a tough time climbing out of it.
01:37But, you know, we haven't seen great defense from this team for most of the season.
01:43And it's kind of the risk you take, especially when you put Vientos at third base to get his bat into the lineup.
01:52When we talk about the defense, the bullpen has come to question in terms of their depth and their sustainability.
01:59The Mets actually used six arms in relief last night, and that's including some starters on some short rests.
02:05How strained is the bullpen right now?
02:09And is this something that they can patch with call-ups, or are they just flat-out short-staffed until the offseason?
02:16Yeah, you know, they'll be able to make a move here and there to get, as they have been throughout the season,
02:22to shuffle a guy in and out.
02:25Now, like Richard Lovelady pitched a couple of innings last night.
02:30I would be surprised if he's still here for tonight's game.
02:34They'll have probably a fresh arm in here.
02:37But there's really no magic bullet here, and the key is going to be to get some length from Nolan McClain tonight,
02:44to get six innings out of him, and then you can get to some of your high-leverage guys who weren't needed last night.
02:53But it's really a high-wire act here for Carlos Mendoza, trying to piece this thing together.
02:58You've had two straight games where your starter hasn't pitched beyond two innings.
03:06You know, you had Jonah Tong last night, won only two innings, and that looked good compared to what David Peterson gave him the night before,
03:15when he only lasted one in the third inning.
03:18So, the key here is to get a six-inning performance from Nolan McClain and then get your high-leverage guys involved.
03:29All right, so Wednesday night's loss means that there is zero room for error in the wild-card hunt.
03:35So, what's the message from inside the clubhouse now, and how do they shake off a game like Wednesday night's loss
03:41and get a very much-needed win tonight to close out this Cubs series?
03:45Yeah, and I don't know if there's a message other than go out and win that night's game.
03:49But, you know, the thing here is you look at where we are, there's four games left,
03:55and you feel like the Mets have to win three out of four here to really put themselves in a good position.
04:03You know, win tonight and then go down to Miami and win two out of three.
04:07Anything beyond that, anything less than that, you're really leaving yourself vulnerable here.
04:13And the Mets got lucky last night.
04:16You know, the Reds went to extra innings and lost to the Pirates.
04:19The Diamondbacks went to extra innings, lost to the Dodgers.
04:25So, you know, it really could be a lot messier right now.
04:29But they have the one-game lead, a chance to win a series against the Cubs,
04:34and then go down to Miami and try and finish this thing out.
04:39But it's been, I'm sure, a lot more difficult than the Mets front office,
04:45Mets management could have anticipated here.
04:48All right, I'm going to put you on the spot here.
04:49Yes, no, and the why.
04:51Do the Mets make the playoffs?
04:52I think they do, just because I look at the three teams left fighting for this spot,
04:59the Mets, the Diamondbacks, and the Reds.
05:02And I still think the Mets have the best team of that bunch,
05:05as poorly as the pitching has been here.
05:09And, you know, you look at the schedules remaining.
05:15You know, Arizona has still got to go play the Padres.
05:20You know, I know the Marlins have historically been a thorn in the Mets' side.
05:26But going down to Miami, I think the Mets should be able to finish this this weekend.
05:33But, listen, it's a one-game lead.
05:36And if the Mets lose tonight to the Cubs, all bets are off.
05:40All right, Mike Puma, enjoy the game tonight, sir.
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